Software Advice's ERP Analyst Derek Singleton recently posted a blog that points out three major findings from the construction firms that they surveyed for their latest research.First, “Users of construction estimating software produce faster and more accurate bids.”Second, “Construction estimating software users report fewer challenges with their system.” Third, “These results were more pronounced among medium- and large-sized companies.”
Reshaping the Construction Industry
AGC Smart Brief noted that David Benjamin and a team at Columbia University are developing bacteria-based processes that could be produced as commercially available construction materials within the next 8-10 years, showing us that quantum change is going on behind the scenes today that will ultimately change the face of construction as we know it.The referenced article is called Designing and Building with Bacteria Could be the Future of Architecture, and it originally appeared in Inhabitat, a publication that features new and leading-edge discoveries in a number of fields that will impact our lives and industries in the near future.We think that whether you are in the industry today or just entering the industry, you should pay close attention to some of the “new stuff” being talked about here and in other forums.
September 19, 2013
As steel frames begin to emerge above the treetops between the sixteen tower cranes which are raising them, curiosity and excitement continue to build among business and residential neighbors of the 385-acre ExxonMobil campus under construction just north of Houston. Several recent articles offer more information and images of the project, which is scheduled to be ready for move-in next year.In the most recent edition of The Lamp, ExxonMobil’s magazine for shareholders, there is a four-page article beginning on page 26 which contains artists’ renderings and design information about the project. Last month Nancy Sarnoff referred to that article in a piece she wrote for the online energy news publication Fuel Fix, where she highlights some of those design elements the completed campus will feature.
September 19, 2013
Exciting times are ahead for our collaboration! With the addition of the St. Mary's Seminary Project, the Construction Career Collaborative (C3) now has six designated projects. In my capacity as C3's Executive Director, I sat down with Steve Dishman, President of Brookstone, to talk about the renovation on the Borski Center, which is owned by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.KK: Tell us a little about this project.SD: The project scope includes substantial renovations and upgrades to the Borski Athletic Center.KK: What made your organization decide to designate this project as a C3 Project?
September 18, 2013
Following reports on the alleged mistreatment of workers on University of Texas student house projects, some of those workers actually received some good news this past week. They’ve now received checks for the overtime their bosses had previously denied them.After fighting very hard to get it, the Workers Defense Project in Austin let us know that some of the workers recovered $35,000 in overtime payment that they were due for work on the Calloway House project that was featured in the follow-up report from The Daily Texan. Workers Defense held a celebration at their offices for those workers and to offer encouragement to others who are still trying to recover money they are owed.“Without God, none of this would be possible,” said one worker who was elated to finally get his paycheck. It’s not the first time he’s been stiffed by an unscrupulous construction company owner. “This happens way too much, but these people helped me get the money I had already earned so I can feed my family.”
September 17, 2013
Editor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Construction prices budge little; employment stays flat in August, FMI predicts mild rise The producer price index (PPI) for finished goods increased 0.4%, not seasonally adjusted (0.3%, seasonally adjusted), in August and 1.4% over 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Friday. PPIs for construction inputs and for prices that contractors charge were generally tame. The PPI for inputs to construction—a weighted average of the cost of all materials used in construction plus items consumed by contractors such as diesel fuel—rose 0.3% for the month and 1.4% year-over-year. The PPI climbed 0.3% and 1.7%, respectively, for residential construction inputs and 0.5% and 1.2% for nonresidential construction. Among major construction inputs, the biggest year-over-year price increase occurred for gypsum products, up 14%, despite a drop of 0.2% from July. Other prices that increased over the year included lumber and plywood, up 1.8% for the month and 9.0% over 12 months; insulation materials, 2.3% and 3.9%; concrete products, 0 and 3.1%; and asphalt paving mixtures and blocks, 0.8% and 0.6%.
September 16, 2013
The Green Building Education Services (GBES) newsletter this week announced that they have printed a Treehugger blog entry by Lloyd Alter entitled LEED-bashing: Is the Bank of America Building really a "toxic tower"? This entry takes a little different and somewhat more in-depth view of the LEED aspects of the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park which I wrote about previously. Following an outline of the building’s “green” attributes, including its energy use compared to other buildings, Alter writes:“Every urbanist and architect says that New York is so green because of the way people are packed in and the fact that they don't drive. They claim that energy use per capita is the metric that matters. Yet here they don't know that basic metric and call the building a toxic energy hog.
September 12, 2013
Staff and supporters of SER - Jobs for Progress gathered at the Houstonian this past Sunday night to celebrate the organization's 48th anniversary. Dignitaries including Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee, Representative Al Green, and others looked on as famed immigration attorney Charles Foster and Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman were honored during the gala.Organizers said the event raised at least $175,000 for the group that provides education, training, and employment services that empower individuals, businesses, and communities. It's an investment that produces an 800% return in the local economy, organizers said.Justice Guzman, a SER alumnus and the first Latina to be elected statewide in Texas, told the crowd that there's simply no way she'd be where she is today without having received job training from the group. Guzman pointed out that her life was changed “as a kid from Houston's East End”.
September 11, 2013
Hi there. The Chamberlin Man here.Did you know you can keep your roof cool and decrease your energy costs to boot with a white, reflective roof system or roof coating? And right now we all need to save a little dough on those A/C bills.Here is some cool info about solar reflectance and its benefits. Take a gander when you have a moment and send this around the office. Maybe your colleagues could learn a thing or two, also.EPA’s Cool Roof Site Cool Roof Savings Calculator
September 10, 2013
As reported on Construction Citizen last week, some construction workers who helped build luxury student apartments on the University of Texas campus in Austin have alleged that they were horribly mistreated by subcontractors hired by Hensel Phelps. Now the Daily Texan reports that the problems are even more widespread than we had originally told you. Thanks to pressure from The Daily Texan, Construction Citizen, and the Workers Defense Project, workers will recover the overtime pay they had previously been denied. The following article by Bobby Blanchard was originally published in The Daily Texan. Reprinted with permission.Construction workers in West Campus apartment complexes allege mistreatment, unpaid wagesOf the three West Campus apartment complexes that opened to more than 1,000 students this fall, at least two were built by construction workers who claimed they were mistreated.
September 10, 2013